This invention relates to display assemblies. More particularly, this invention relates to lighted display assemblies for use in electronics or appliances.
Lighted displays are commonly included in many appliances to communicate various information about the appliance to a user. For example, the display may indicate whether the appliance is turned on, whether the appliance is functioning properly, or what stage or cycle the appliance is in. Often these displays are a fixed, permanent part of the appliance.
As more businesses distribute products internationally to take advantage of a larger consumer base, it may become desirable to create a lighted display that is tailored for use in specific countries. For example, a washing machine sold in China may include information in the Chinese language and use common Chinese symbols and icons, while the same washing machine sold in France would likely include information in the French language and use common French symbols and icons.
It also becomes desirable to customize displays for products distributed in a single geographic region. For example, a manufacturer may produce a line of appliances that includes a base model, and various higher end models that each include additional options that a customer may choose in order to best serve their needs. The display for each version of appliance within the line of appliances may be tailored to reflect the options selected and may be capable of providing status information to the user corresponding to those options.
Manufacturing each variation of electronics device and appliance with a different, custom display may become expensive because of a significant increase in the number of parts, the variation in parts and the required manufacturing time. Because the displays are typically a fixed, permanent part of the appliance, each display may require a different installation technique, which may further increase manufacturing time. In some products, the entire display assembly may need to be customized and configured differently in order to display the appropriate information corresponding to the particular product application.